Bottle Soaking Anomaly and Question

[user 79142]

Hi all,

I tried to clean up the various bottles that I have lying around, and I noticed something strange that had not happened before. I did the usual soak in OxyClean for 24 hours to remove the remaining labels and residue, but when I removed them from my soaking tub, several of the bottles had an abrasive residue on both the outside and inside of the bottle, almost like sandpaper.

Anyone ever have this issue? What is the cause? How do I get it off? I really don't want to put beer in these bottles until I know what is causing it. Thanks!

 

[slipkid]

Did you maybe use more Oxi Clean than usual? When left to dry, Oxi Clean will leave a rough, white residue. I would re-rinse with hot water and scrub until it comes off. I wouldn't bottle until you get it off, as I would imagine the residue would make for foamy geysers when you open them later.

 

[user 79142]

I've tried scrubbing, but the residue is very difficult to remove. Plus, there's no telling what is on the inside of the bottles and that is not accessible to scrubbing...

Sigh...one more reason to consider the move to kegging.

 

[WVRadar]

I used to clean my carboys with PBW but when I ran out I started using Oxy Clean. When left to soak overnight it left a residue like you're describing on the carboy. I've found that soaking the carboy in Oxy Clean for less time (about 2 hours) will clean it without leaving the residue.

To remove the residue, I made up a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water, and swirled it in the carboy.

It seems that OxyClean will leave this residue depending on how hard your water is.

 

[Revvy]

It's not an anamoly, there's a ton of threads about it. We call it scale, it's really common, it's just residue from the oxyclean as the water it's soaking in evaporates or reacting with minerals in the water. Usually a weak acid solution like vinegar and water, lemon juice and water, even a dillution of starsan and water usually breaks it down. Then lots of rinsing.

 

[unionrdr]

That's why I use PBW for cleaning everything. No scale to worry about. Rinses off & is good to go with a brush,dobie,or soft cloth.

 

[3PegBrew]

Pabst Blue Wibbon?

 

[unionrdr]

ha ha ha! Professional Brewing Wanker...

 

[3PegBrew]

Haha nice!

 

[Revvy]

Pabst Blue Wibbon?

It is the best beer for wabbit season after all.

 

[Tinman13]

Getting ready to Clean a New batch of bottles, in the past I have soked in TSP and Bleach, ran out of TSP so this past weekend I picked up some Oxi-Clean
How much do I use, say for 5gals? How long do I soak? Do I still add the bleach

 

[eanmcnulty]

I use Sun Oxygen Cleaner. It is generic Oxyclean. I use about two-thirds of the little scoop that comes with it with about 4 gallons of water. 4 gallons is about what my kitchen sink holds. I used to use more cleaner, but I have gotten that scale too, so I'm down to the two-thirds of a scoop.

 

[3PegBrew]

Did somebody say Wabbit? Shhhhhhh

 

[jeffd10]

Getting ready to Clean a New batch of bottles, in the past I have soked in TSP and Bleach, ran out of TSP so this past weekend I picked up some Oxi-Clean
How much do I use, say for 5gals? How long do I soak? Do I still add the bleach

I can't remember if a scoop comes in the tub....I use a 1/2 scoop for a sinkful ...maybe a couple scoops at the most (for 5 gal)....It seems to go a long way !!!
:rockin:

Jeffd

 

[user 79142]

FYI, relating to my original question about the "sandpaper-like" substance, I first tried the sanitizer soak, but that seemed to exacerbate the problem. As a last resort, I soaked the bottles in a vinegar solution (one part vinegar, five parts water, as was suggested) and that removed all the "cake" from both inside and outside the bottles.

 

[DSmith]

I had that once with PBW prepared with unsoftened cold water for bottle soaking. The film came off with a Starsan soak and scrubbing. Since moving to hot softened water and using 0.5 TBS per gallon the issue has never come back and the labels still fall off.

I rinse the PBW off with hot water anyway, then a dip in Starsan prepared with dechlorinated hard water on bottling day.